Architects

Despite being released months ago, the Figure/Stopstart single by Your Friends Are Architects has only just found its way to Button Thief. Of course I have been living without it for some time, unaware how much i needed it. The hypnotic beats on both songs are sewn up perfectly with driving bass, shimmering guitars and desperate vocals. I would be pissed off, but i'm listening to YFAA with a big grin on my face.

www.myspace.com/yourfriendsarearchitects

Decimals

Alex Pennie is a controversial figure for many who have ever had the pleasure/pain of experiencing The Automatic- As their former front man it's hard for him to shun any sort of responsibility. If this didn't hinder my opinion of him he managed to steal my rider from his Ibar gig on Wednesday. With the all this it would be easy to slag him off but i can't: Charging round like a maniac to a statue filled crowd for half an hour is a tricky thing to do for anyone who doesn't fully believe in what they are doing, and this is exactly what he did. Backed by a band of equally active musicians Decimals put on a great show, thawing a stand offish crowd all the while headed by a tiny welshman, who is actually quite a nice guy.

Money

Is anyone else feeling pretty relaxed about the recession?

I’m a student. I like being a student but soon this is going to end with the closing of my final year. At this point I’m sure many of my colleagues will get a job, it is the done thing. I have been eyeing up a second degree for a while. As my mind celebrates, my liver and credit rating look on in fear.
The economic downturn has offered a whole new alley to avoid the scary world of work. The other options (hide, leave the country or leave the country and hide) now seem ridiculous.The dole is no longer such a taboo subject if the unemployment rates continue to rise as they have been doing. Some have warned the current 5.8% could rise to as high as 10%! Finally my student education of living on meagre amounts will come into play as I collect my 50 pounds a week.

I could start smoking, and gambling, while all around me the papers screaming concern is drowned out by doors of opportunity slamming open.

Found

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of checking out Found Magazine you really should: It celebrates the discarded and left behind things that many would just dismiss as rubbish. From the most personal notes to baffling photos it holds such quaint charm in rescuing theses items.

Since ‘finding’ Found myself I have found it increasingly difficult to walk around pavements and car parks without picking up and down turned but of paper just in case it could be the gold I look for.

Recently I found this picture near a school by my house. The second aspect of a find is analysing it to find out, mostly hypothesizing, as much detail about the people it concerns.

Here we have a picture of a child who appears to be having his first birthday with his dad. The photo has been cut to remove a third (or more?) person. A wife maybe? The actual photo is slightly scraped, probably due to the fact I found it on the pavement, but this seems to be minor scrapes. It dosen't hold the tattered edges of a photo that has been kept in a wallet for an age or fingered constantly. The clothes give little help in trying to determine when the picture was taken but it seems fairly recent.

The most striking feature I find about the photo is the ‘father’s’ eyes. On what should be such a happy occasion they betray his smile and display a latent sadness.

Quite a beard specific post

This is an issue that bothers me as a bearded human, as an editor of a beard magazine and as the president of the Bournemouth Beard Society. Where is the love? I'm not talking about beardism and the discrimination suffered by beard wearers but the lack of solidarity.
I find myself constantly wrongly assuming that a nod to a fellow beardsmith will be returned with a smile as i talk loudly on a quiet train carriage, or jumping into a crazy golf queue won't be a problem if the owner has a beard. Almost every time my hopes are dashed. We need to unite, otherwise we will be unable to realize the power we could have to stamp out beardism. So i call to all beardsmiths- if you are going to react angrily, pick a chinflasher.

Mercury-Bloc Party

The initial disappointment and confusion that emerged from the first few plays of Bloc Party's new single have faded into a more tranquil 'It's a grower' possible state of denial. While some fans were unhappy with the direction Bloc Party ventured with 'Flux' most accepted it as a great song(Which it is), if a little different from their traditional sound. This latest song on the other hand sounds like a remix, and a bad one.

The video for the song is even more intriguing. Some took solace in the sci-fi spoof tone used in the 'Flux' video as an indicator that it was all a joke and This video follows a similar theme. The tackiness of the product makes the song even more cringe worthy even if it does make it sound better when juxtaposed next to this failed pun. The action follows monkeys creating a being and watching it get elected. It seems to be a commentary on puppet government but we already don't care, bring back Bloc Party.

Whale Video (We're not doing puns)

The sight of a whale exploding would be enough to draw many people to a video. But the fact that the Oregon State Highway Division decided it was the best idea for the situation, the pun filled news commentary and the disastrous consequences make this excellent viewing. Enjoy.

Can It

For a long time Banksy has captured the publics attention with a variety of imaginative and stimulating stunts or ideas. Always pushing his pseudo political stance via various inventive means. His most recent venture, the Can Festival, was his most tame, and its legality might have had something to do with it. His respect amongst urban artists has been fairly constant despite increasing mainstream appeal. As an artist, his notoriety is almost as much based on his subversive tactics as his art. From sneaking works into galleries to a range of stencils in awkward places it has become increasingly hard to top himself. This latest event was 100% legal and it showed. Visitors were invited to bring their own stencils to what was one of the most cringe worthy areas I have ever seen: Walls coated in ‘wannabee Banksy’ stencils, some straight copies. Inside, the work, done by a host of artists was of a high quality but a lot of the artist’s work seemed stunted, lacking his charm or flare. The most interesting piece of the exhibition was this piece by Vhils, formed through a combination of paint and chisels to chip away into an image; it showed skilful innovation where many others failed to inspire.

Best piece of graffiti ever.

Why is this childish scrawl the best piece of graffiti ever? Graffiti is all about honesty, and this is full of truth, it perfectly sums up the phrase 'Crime doesn't pay.' Not only has the offender stolen the paint but he also can't spell.